Elections have little meaning without free political participation and fundamental rights: Masarrat Aalam Butt
APHC chairman calls for political freedoms and rights of the Kashmiris to be respected
New Delhi:The illegally detained Chairman of the All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC), Masarrat Aalam Butt, has said that merely holding elections does not guarantee democracy, rather, free political participation by the people, respect for human rights, the rule of law and political freedoms are fundamental requirements of a democratic system.
According to Kashmir Media Service, in a statement issued from New Delhi’s Tihar Jail on the occasion of the International Day of Democracy, Masarrat Aalam Butt said that democracy, human rights, the rule of law and political participation are recognized worldwide as fundamental democratic values. However, he said, the Kashmiri people continue to struggle for the right to freely determine their political future and secure their fundamental rights.
He said democracy was not merely about holding elections, but about ensuring that people have the right to freely express their political aspirations, choose their leadership and meaningfully participate in decision-making concerning their future.
Masarat Alam Butt said the prolonged detention of political leaders, activists, journalists and human rights defenders, as well as restrictions on political activities in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), were a matter of concern. He said that when political dissent is suppressed through imprisonment and draconian laws, it raises questions about the meaningfulness of the democratic process.
He said he himself had been arrested several times and remained imprisoned for prolonged periods during his political struggle. He said court records in IIOJK contained details of several of his detentions, while courts in different cases had also quashed detention orders and directed his release.
Masarat Alam Butt said the right to self-determination of the Kashmiri people could not simply be dismissed as a political slogan. He said the Kashmiri people had the right to freely express their views about their political future and called upon the international community to fulfil its responsibility towards finding a political solution to the longstanding Kashmir dispute.
He urged the international community, the United Nations and global human rights organizations to assess the human rights situation in IIOJK, pay attention to the cases of political prisoners and ensure that the political voice of the Kashmiri people is heard at the international level.
Masarat Alam Butt said the true spirit of the International Day of Democracy would be realized only when the voices, freedom, human dignity and political rights of people in every part of the world are respected and protected.
